You landed an internship at the EPA, and you're cleaning lab glassware, but at least you're making connections for your future career as an EPA scientist.

You're conducting auto exhaust pollution tests daily, and you're wondering if the safety equipment is working all that well. Is that shortness of breath caused by a cold…or not?

You've moved up in the EPA firmament. You're in charge of testing the biological viability of the drinking water supply of a major metropolitan area. Depending on the results, the city would be on the hook for millions in water purification costs.

Out of the lab and into policy—that's where you are now. Days are spent preparing to testify before Congress. Everyone says you have charisma, and you'll go far in politics.

You're about to get confirmed to head the EPA. But the fight has only just begun—to make sure the EPA continues to exist on this green Earth.